Custom Actions
I have searched the forum and cannot really come up with a difinitive answer, If someone knows of a spot I can find this please direct me.
I have just gotten back into a position where I need to repackage software and I am a little rusty [:)] . Three plus years ago I packaged a lot of apps.
I am trying to figure out how to prompt the users for a serial number and pass it to the MSI. All of the MSI's in our organization are run with /qb as part of an automated system. I would like to have the MSI prompt the user for serial number (or possibly any thing else) and pass it to the installation.
The example here is Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0. We will not be using the elicense server. Using the Adobe Customization Wizard I can create an installation with the license key already embedded, however I want the users to enter their Actual key for many reasons.
So, does anyone know of a good tutorial that can help me get started on this.
I have just gotten back into a position where I need to repackage software and I am a little rusty [:)] . Three plus years ago I packaged a lot of apps.
I am trying to figure out how to prompt the users for a serial number and pass it to the MSI. All of the MSI's in our organization are run with /qb as part of an automated system. I would like to have the MSI prompt the user for serial number (or possibly any thing else) and pass it to the installation.
The example here is Adobe Acrobat Standard 8.0. We will not be using the elicense server. Using the Adobe Customization Wizard I can create an installation with the license key already embedded, however I want the users to enter their Actual key for many reasons.
So, does anyone know of a good tutorial that can help me get started on this.
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Posted by:
shanksr
9 years ago
I know this is an old post, but another possible solution is to us a program like AutoIT. ( https://www.autoitscript.com/site/autoit/ )
You can do a lot of custom scripting and dialog boxes as well as input boxes.
It is a little tedious, but also extremely useful when nothing else seems to work!
You can do a lot of custom scripting and dialog boxes as well as input boxes.
It is a little tedious, but also extremely useful when nothing else seems to work!
Posted by:
nheim
17 years ago
Hi Dennis,
i would open the app in Wise or Installshield and add the necessary input field into dialog which is already part of the MSI.
You have to know which property must hold the serial#.
After that generate a transform with msitran from the difference off the original app and the altered one.
Load the original app into ORCA and load the transform also. Now you can have a look which changes were made.
Make sure, that there are no unwanted things in it and that's it.
Regards, Nick
i would open the app in Wise or Installshield and add the necessary input field into dialog which is already part of the MSI.
You have to know which property must hold the serial#.
After that generate a transform with msitran from the difference off the original app and the altered one.
Load the original app into ORCA and load the transform also. Now you can have a look which changes were made.
Make sure, that there are no unwanted things in it and that's it.
Regards, Nick
Posted by:
mis009
17 years ago
Thanks for the advice Nick.
However the issue I am having is that because of our distribution system I must run the MSI with the /qb switch. If I do that I cannot get any dialogs to appear. Is it possible to move a dialog from the User Interface sequence to the execute sequence so that it will appear when the /QB switch is used?
However the issue I am having is that because of our distribution system I must run the MSI with the /qb switch. If I do that I cannot get any dialogs to appear. Is it possible to move a dialog from the User Interface sequence to the execute sequence so that it will appear when the /QB switch is used?
Posted by:
mis009
17 years ago
Just an update in case anyone can help....
I think the long explination I made in the first post comes down to:
I would like to be able to call a dialog from the first part of the "execute" sequence. Does anyone know how I can do this?
I have been digging in and have discovered that when the /qb or LIMITUI=1 options are used the "User Interface" sequence is skipped. In order to gather the serial number for the program(s) all I need to do is call the SDCustomerInformationEX dialog and have the user enter the serial number.
I have decided on a workaround to get the application out, but this seems to me to be something that is really needed and should not be very difficult for someone who knows what they are doing to accomplish
I think the long explination I made in the first post comes down to:
I would like to be able to call a dialog from the first part of the "execute" sequence. Does anyone know how I can do this?
I have been digging in and have discovered that when the /qb or LIMITUI=1 options are used the "User Interface" sequence is skipped. In order to gather the serial number for the program(s) all I need to do is call the SDCustomerInformationEX dialog and have the user enter the serial number.
I have decided on a workaround to get the application out, but this seems to me to be something that is really needed and should not be very difficult for someone who knows what they are doing to accomplish
Posted by:
nheim
17 years ago
Hi Dennis,
oh, i overlooked that in your first post.
No, that's not possible. The /qb switch means: bare dialogs, which essentially does just that. Display some minimal info's on the progress.
This then is a job for a VB CA, because a VB Inputbox isn't affected by the /qb switch.
Display a Inputbox, ask for the serial and write it to a property.
Something like this:
Dim strInput
strInput = InputBox("Serial #:")
Session.Property("YOURSERIALPROPERTY") = strInput
Regards, Nick
oh, i overlooked that in your first post.
No, that's not possible. The /qb switch means: bare dialogs, which essentially does just that. Display some minimal info's on the progress.
This then is a job for a VB CA, because a VB Inputbox isn't affected by the /qb switch.
Display a Inputbox, ask for the serial and write it to a property.
Something like this:
Dim strInput
strInput = InputBox("Serial #:")
Session.Property("YOURSERIALPROPERTY") = strInput
Regards, Nick
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